Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Tom Joyner, radio host of the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show, announced last week that his foundation, the Tom Joyner Foundation, will begin a new scholarship program that aims to increase the number of black men attending historically black colleges and universities (HBCU's).

The number of black men attending historically black colleges and universities has increased in recent years, but still lags behind black women, national studies show.

Beginning with the month of July, one $1,500 scholarship is being offered each week to a male student at a HBCU selected as the college of the month.

Thomas Joyner, Jr., head of the foundation, says “we wanted to do something that directly helps encourage brothers to go school and also help keep them there.” He said foundation board members decided to initiate the new program because of their concerns over the disparities in the number of black men in college and also the increasing number of black men involved in negative activities. “We know there are a lot of black brothers out there doing the right things, and we want to highlight them,” Joyner said.

Since 1998, the foundation has raised more than $55 million to help keep students enrolled at HBCUs.

Rush Philanthropic believes that if you give young people the opportunity to practice and appreciate art -- whether poetry, music, dance, or the visual arts -- then you will see lives transformed as young people learn to value their own unique voices and visions.

Friday, July 27, 2007

The 5th Annual Night under the Stars Birthday Bash with Carlos Coleman and Friends is scheduled for Saturday, July 28th 2007, 8:00PM at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Performing Arts located in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

The annual event is a celebration of the arts and community designed to promote the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation in its mission of exposing children to the arts.

"We are proud of how big the event has gotten over the last five years. It's a great way to celebrate the arts, our community and most importantly to get people out to see all the wonderful things going on at the center," says Carlos Coleman, coordinator of the event. "Every year we are humbled at the number of celebrities that come out to celebrate and support Tupac's legacy."

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Former NBA star Magic Johnson leads the list of people named Tuesday as recipients of the National Civil Rights Museum's annual Freedom Awards. The museum, on the site where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, will hand out the awards Oct. 23.

Johnson is being honored for his work since leaving the NBA on promoting economic development, improved health care and educational opportunities in low-income urban neighborhoods and other "underserved communities." His foundation, the Magic Johnson Foundation, supports HIV/AIDS prevention and health care education in low-income communities.

Also named as recipients of the award were historian John Hope Franklin and Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Franklin, 92, a chronicler of civil rights history, was part of a legal team from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People that helped develop the Brown v. Board of Education case. The case led to the U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawing racial segregation in public schools.

Johnson-Sirleaf, 67, was inaugurated in January as president of Liberia. Known as the "iron lady," she is her country's first elected female president. She was named by Forbes Magazine last year as one of the "100 Most Powerful Women in the World."

Monday, July 23, 2007

Dr. Ian Smith of the 50 Million Pound Challenge, held 'An Event to Change Your Life', hosted by comedian and radio personality Steve Harvey in Atlanta this past Saturday:

Attendees at the free event enjoyed live entertainment from R&B singers Keith Sweat and Omarion, received free health screenings and learned more about the 50 Million Pound Challenge initiative, that aims to educate the Black community about the dangers of obesity and to help people shed excess pounds.

Dr. Ian Smith with R&B singer Keith Sweat

::Chris Webber's Bada Bling Celebrity Bash Weekend::NBA star Chris Webber is one of many NBA and NFL players who host fundraisers during the summer to benefit their foundations. Chris's Bada Bling Celebrity Bash Weekend was held this past weekend in Las Vegas that benefited the Chris Webber Foundation:

Chris with Jackee Joyner-Kersee

NBA player Richard Hamilton with MTV host Sway

The legacy of philanthropy was instilled in Chris by his parents. In an interview with BET.com, Chris says: "I’ve had my foundation for fourteen years. My mother is a teacher and my father is a deacon of the church. I saw all the things they did for our community. When I had the opportunity to start a foundation I wanted to continue what my parents were doing. So for the last twelve years I just put in my money to make sure schools were getting funded and had computers and everything".

Chris also notes: "In the humanitarian aspect, I think I’m always going to be involved in our community. I’ve been asked to do some things. I love our people and I love and respect our struggle and those that came before us. If we forget about those before us, we are really going to be in trouble. I definitely want to do that long after I finish playing basketball".

Blacks in the United States are imprisoned at more than five times the rate of whites, and Hispanics are locked up at nearly double the white rate, according to a study released last week by the Sentencing Project, a Washington, D.C. based think tank.

Significant findings from the report include that states in the Midwest and Northeast have the greatest black-to-white disparity in incarceration; and Iowa had the widest disparity in the nation, imprisoning blacks at more than 13 times the rate of whites. The study says that in Iowa, for every 100,000 people, the state incarcerates 309 whites and 4,200 blacks.

Paul Stageberg, administrator of the Iowa Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning, said the results are not surprising, but the causes are subject to interpretation. He said the state's disproportionately high black arrest rates are likely linked to high poverty rates among blacks and lower educational achievement.

Marc Mauer, the Sentencing Project's Executive Director, says that these figures "reflect a failure of social and economic interventions to address crime effectively, as well as racial bias in the justice system".

States with the lowest black-to-white ratios were Hawaii, with 1.9, Georgia with 3.3 and Mississippi with 3.5.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Four years ago, Cheryl James was inspired to create special haired head scarves by a young girl named Taylor, who suffered hair loss due to a brain aneurysm. Taylor was a second grade student at the time and the loss of her hair caused her to feel ashamed. Where There's A Need, Inc. was born out of this effort, and today, the organization has made several donations to cancer hospitals, hospices and conducts outreach to youth to educate them about community service.

The mission of Where There’s A Need, Inc., based in Jamaica, New York, is to support women and children who have experienced hair loss due to chemotherapy and radiation cancer treatment, as well as individuals with hair loss from other medical conditions.

The hair scarves are unique and give the appearance of a natural hairstyle. The haired head garments can also be an alternative to wearing a wig. There are large selections of head coverings for women, but few for children. Many children are uncomfortable with a wig, but find their product more inviting. Now Taylor is able to go outside and play with her friends, attend school, and go shopping at the mall, and no one will know that the exposed bang is not her real hair.

One program of the organization, The Young Exponents, educates students of all ages on the realization of kids their age with cancer, and how they can make a difference in the lives of these children. They are taught how to make these special head scarves which are then donated to their community.

For more information, visit the website, Where There's A Needand myspace page, or call toll free at 1-866-803-6095.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Jordan Brand, a division of Nike, Inc., launched its second annual Breakfast Club program aimed at inspiring today's young athletes to dedicate themselves to hard work in order to achieve personal growth and excellence. On July 18th, the club kicked off in Chicago at Proviso E. High School and will conclude in Portland, Oregon on August 21st.

The Breakfast Club will give thousands of young athletes a rare opportunity to meet and learn from Tim Grover and train alongside some of today's top professional athletes. Grover will spearhead the events with a special exercise curriculum focusing on explosiveness, strength, performance and conditioning. The curriculum, along with pre-built and other customized work-outs, will be available free online at http://www.jumpman23.com/.

"Jordan Brand is excited to bring the Breakfast Club training program to America's youth. Just as it inspired Michael Jordan, we expect this unique program to motivate participants to demand the best from themselves by working harder, reaching higher while staying committed," said Roman Vega, JordanBrand Manager.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

The following editorial excerpt is written by Phillip Jackson, founder of The Black Star Project, located in Chicago. The Black Star Project's mission is the improve the quality of life in Black and Latino communities of Chicago and nationwide by eliminating the racial academic achievement gap.

America Has Lost A Generation of Black Boys

There is no longer a need for dire predictions, hand-wringing, or apprehension about losing a generation of Black boys. It is too late. In education, employment, economics, incarceration, health, housing, and parenting, we have lost a generation of young Black men. The question that remains is will we lose the next two or three generations, or possibly every generation of Black boys hereafter to the streets, negative media, gangs, drugs, poor education, unemployment, father absence, crime, violence and death.

Most young Black men in the United States don’t graduate from high school. Only 35% of Black male students graduated from high school in Chicago and only 26% in New York City, according to a 2006 report by The Schott Foundation for Public Education. Only a few black boys who finish high school actually attend college, and of those few Black boys who enter college, nationally, only 22% of them finish college.

Black men in prison in America have become as American as apple pie. There are more Black men in prisons and jails in the United States (about 1.1 million) than there are Black men incarcerated in the rest of the world combined. This criminalization process now starts in elementary schools with Black male children as young as six and seven years old being arrested in staggering numbers according to a 2005 report, Education on Lockdown by the Advancement Project.

The editorial cites six short term goals for black boys:

1) Teach all Black boys to read at grade level by the third grade and to embrace education.
2) Provide positive role models for Black boys.
3) Create a stable home environment for Black boys that includes contact with their fathers.
4) Ensure that Black boys have a strong spiritual base.
5) Control the negative media influences on Black boys.
6) Teach Black boys to respect all girls and women.

Six time Grammy award winner Kanye West will host his foundation's inaugural benefit concert in his hometown of Chicago on August 24th.

The event will raise money for the Kanye West Foundation, the Kanye West Scholarship Fund at Chicago State University and the establishment of the Loop Dreams Teacher Institute in Chicago. The Loop Dreams Teacher Training Institute will provide training to teachers in the ailing Chicago Public School system, who are interested in incorporating Hip-Hop music into their curriculums.

The concert will take place at the House of Blues and during the evening, West will pay tribute to pioneering African-American investor John Rogers, Founder and CEO of the billion-dollar Ariel Capital Management company.

Kanye's mother, Dr. Donda West, who is the foundation's board chair says: “Kanye is committed to excellence through education and established ‘Loop Dreams’ as the first and signature initiative of his foundation.”

The mission of the Kanye West Foundation is to help combat the severe drop out problems in high schools across the United States by developing student centered programs geared towards increased literacy, heightened self-worth, independent thinking and self actualization through the arts.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Osi Umenyiora of the New York Giants and Terrell Owens of the Dallas Cowboys teamed up to host Strike 4 A Cure, a charity bowling event that raised funds for research, outreach and education for Alzheimer's and HIV/AIDS. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Georgia chapter of the Alzheimer's Association and National AIDS Education and Services for Minorities (NAESM).

Events during the weekend included Casino Royale at Mercedes-Benz of Buckhead sponsored by Courvoisier (pix below), a bowling challenge at 10 Pin Bowling Alley and a pool side jamboree at Terrell Owens' home.

Friday, July 13, 2007

The Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation hosted an Art for Life pre-party in New York on July 10th along with platinum sponsor Land Rover. The Art for Life gala will be held on July 28th in the Hamptons. The pre-party was for VIP, celebrity and platinum level patrons at Land Rover’s New York City show room.

Russell and Danny with Ben Chavis, President and CEO of the Hip Hop Summit Action Network

Lil' Sean and Valeisha Butterfield

Jody Miller and Tangie Murray

Russell with Dominique Andriese

The Art for Life East Hampton gala is Rush Philanthropic’s primary annual fundraising effort to help thousands of underserved New York City children. Rush Philanthropic has also added actress Kerry Washington as an event chair and Oscar winner Forest Whitaker as an honoree for the gala. Rush Philanthropic was founded in 1995 by brothers Russell, Danny and Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons.